Technical code based design of reinforced concrete plane frames represents a common design problem in every day civil engineering practice. The existing analysis and design tools usually perform a number of analysis and design cycles to arrive at a satisfying design. In the proposed work, the analysis and design problem is formulated on the basis of mathematical programming methods as a minimum cost design of R/C plane frames subjected to a number of loading conditions. The cost of concrete, steel reinforcement and formwork are taken into account and the provisions of Eurocode 2, for reinforced concrete design, are expressed in the form of inequality constraints. These include geometrical constraints, strength constraints as well as good design rules and recommended practices. The problem is formulated as a non linear mathematical programming problem with design variables the dimensions of the member cross-sections. The steel reinforcement is treated as an implicit function of the design variables. This sizing optimization problem is solved using different optimization methods. The sensitivities, required at every step to improve the design, i.e. the derivatives of the objective functions and the constraints with respect to the design variables, are determined using the direct method for the finite element formulation of the problem. Numerical results are presented and the efficiency of the method is discussed.

purchase the full-text of this paper (price £20)

go to the previous paper
go to the next paper
return to the table of contents
return to the book description
purchase this book (price £66 +P&P)